Time Will Tell
by twilight-melody
Summary: [AU] Kagome left her childhood friend, Inuyasha, behind. Ten years have passed. Have their feelings of friendship evolved? [hiatus]
1. Hello Tokyo

(Disclaimer: A few words: I do not own Inuyasha. I wish I did though. Oh well. The story's mine, so back off.)

(AN: Anything in _italics_ is a flashback)

"_Inuyasha?" Kagome chorused as the boy spoke._

"_Yes. Inuyasha." The boy said, an irritated tone in his voice._

_Kagome held up five fingers. One hand. "I'm this many years old!" She gave a toothy grin._

_Inuyasha contemplated for a moment. "I'm seven."_

"Phew!" Kagome Higurashi said, pushing her raven black hair out of her face as she unloaded a cardboard box. She stared at the bare room around her. It was…bare. Naked. Everything seemed out of place, but there was nothing there in the first place. A single light was hooked onto the ceiling. There was a large window, about the size of Kagome's arm width. There was a beige carpet and white walls. As said before, bare. The fifteen year old placed her hands on her hips and sighed deeply. "I can't believe I'm really back in Tokyo – after all this time."

Ten years ago, when Kagome was only but a child of five, she had lived in Tokyo. She loved it with a passion. She thought that she would remain there forever. What reason would there be to ever leave her paradise? Directly before her sixth birthday, Kagome was forced to move to Kyoto. Her father's job required it. (If he wanted a promotion, of course.) Besides, he would have a higher pay and they would have a bigger house. How could there be a downside? But Kagome whined, screamed and shouted in attempts to get her way. All this effort was completely futile. She left her childhood friends behind and went to Kyoto, leaving it all behind.

Ten years passed. Kagome's father passed away. A car accident, on his way home from work one fateful Tuesday evening. A drunk driver had hit him, forcing him off the road. The drunk went away, not a scratch or bruise on his body. He had to pay a fine, but that was the end of that. Kagome's father, on the other hand, was in the hospital, fighting the battle of his life. He had to win. Sadly, three days after the ordeal he finally passed away. His heart gave up. Kagome, her mother, and brother had cried so many tears. That job, the promotion Kagome's father received, well, as far as Kagome was concerned, had ruined her life. She had to leave so much behind – including her father. After her father's death, Kagome's mother got job. Her boss saw great things in Mrs. Higurashi, and suggested they move to Tokyo, where the company was bigger, better, and there was a great chance of promotion.

Now Kagome was back in her childhood neighborhood. The trees still in place, yet somehow smaller. The houses still there, but it all seemed irrelevant. Time still passed, but it seemed to move slower. As a child it all seemed different. But, how could anyone forget…now it was.

Kagome sighed as she opened a cardboard box marked, 'Kagome's Stuff' in writing that looked rushed. She dumped the box onto the floor of her room. Junk piled out. Several books, several mementos, a photo book…

"A photo book?" Kagome questioned herself. It had been a while since she had seen that. Kagome picked it up from the pile of clutter and dusted off the maroon cover. She opened it – slowly. It was quite pretty, Kagome had to note. The pages were yellow with blood red leaves that seemed to float down the page. It was full of various photos. There was something written on the inside of the cover.

"Dear Kagome," Kagome read.

"I'll miss you. Even though you're a little kid you were still a pretty good friend. Sort of annoying but a friend. You promise you'll move back, right? I'll be waiting for you. Maybe at the park, or maybe at my house. Maybe at the school or maybe even in your backyard. But don't worry. Once you're back, you'll be able to find me. I'll be waiting.

Sincerely, Inuyasha" Kagome continued in a monotone voice.

"Inuyasha." She repeated, trying to access her memory bank. Why did that name seem so familiar? Where had she heard it before?

"Inuyasha!" she exclaimed. Of course! Inuyasha. Her childhood friend. She remembered him clearly now – how could she have forgotten him? So many memories. Swing sets, ice cream, and sidewalk cracks. He was there for a sweet childlike seven months. Until, of course, Kagome had to move away. He never sent a letter, or dropped a phone call. He had forgotten about her. And so had Kagome. Bittersweet memories. Hadn't she promised that she'd never forget?

"_I have to move." Kagome said, taking a small lick of her chocolate ice cream cone._

_Inuyasha shook his head. His silver hair seemed to wave around him as he did. "No you don't." he insisted, holding onto his strawberry ice cream tightly._

"_Yes I do." Kagome cried. This would be a fight. For sure._

_Inuyasha pouted. "But that's not fair!" he proclaimed._

"_I know. But you know adults." She sighed._

"_Promise you won't forget me." Inuyasha said, holding out a pinky._

"_Pinky promise." Kagome said, as she linked the two pinkies together._

"_Besides, why would you forget me? You're my best friend ever!" Kagome exclaimed, pausing for a moment. "You won't forget me either, right?"_

_Inuyasha laughed. "Nope!"_

Inuyasha. He had been a better friend then anyone in Kyoto. Well, maybe not a better friend but certainly different. In a good way. He seemed to understand Kagome, while still managing to be concerned greatly about himself. Kagome remembered Inuyasha's seven year old image clearly.

At seven, Inuyasha was tall. For his age, at least. He towered over five year old Kagome. He had amber eyes that always seemed angry at something, but sometimes managed to say, "Friends?" in the nicest way possible. Silver locks. He always had such beautiful hair. And those ears – puppy dog ears. He was a hanyou. The first and only, hanyou Kagome had ever met. They were rare nowadays and often shunned - as were the few pure blooded demons. Kagome could only try but help wonder what Inuyasha looked like now and how he was getting by.

Kagome flipped a page in the book as memories wafted in and out of her mind. A preserved image of her five year old self. Short and somewhat pudgy. (But isn't every child?) Chocolate brown eyes that looked huge on her small face. They looked exactly as they did today. Raven black hair. At that time it wasn't quite raven black. More brown, actually. And it was only shoulder length, unlike today – it was midway down her back.

Kagome glanced at her black and white watch. Tiny numbers engraved on it. How much time had passed? 11 o'clock at night. "I didn't realize how late I was." Kagome muttered, rubbing her eyes. "Or how tired I am." It would be an uncomfortable night. She didn't have a bed to sleep on, just yet. It was packed away, somewhere. Among the mess of possessions her family had dragged along with them from Kyoto. An air mattress with sheets would be her luxurious resting place for eight hours. No matter how unpleasant it was, Kagome lay down and fell asleep immediately, falling into endless memories.

"_Whee!" Kagome shouted. A carefree world lay ahead of her. "Higher, Faster!" she cried._

_Inuyasha pushed the swing that Kagome sat upon once again. A hard push._

_Kagome soared freely. "Whe-OW!" she yelled, sobbing. She had hit the ground and hard. Fallen of the swing. _

_Inuyasha ran over, concerned. He glanced at her arm and Kagome winced in pain. "Come on, let's go, you could be hurt." Inuyasha muttered. _

"_I am hurt!" Kagome howled._

_She glanced back and saw the swing still teetering back and forth. _

--

Inuyasha Takahashi closed his eyes once more. "Sleep." He groaned as he desperately tried to fall back into a dreamy state. No luck. The seventeen year old opened his eyes slowly. Sun greeted him. Inuyasha glanced at the clock. 9 o'clock in the morning. A respectable time to wake up, he supposed. His eyes closed once again. He didn't want to wake up. It was too damn early! (Well, for him at least.)

Inuyasha sat up slowly. A golden framed mirror was parallel to him, on the opposite side of the room. He could see the upper half of his body clearly. Silver locks that fell down quite long. Amber eyes that glared furiously. Silver ears. They marked him a hanyou – half human, half demon. Joy.

Inuyasha's eyes now half open, he stared around at his room. There was one word for it – big. He had always been fortunate – rich, in other words. He saw no need for such a large space though. Oh well. The walls were a dark gray – closer to black, actually. His bed was plain with plain black sheets and a bedspread. There was a closet, a black dresser and a large window. The window had a ledge in which Inuyasha could sit comfortably. And think. Just…think. There was also a television and a couch. With room to spare. Yikes.

Inuyasha shut his eyes once again and rolled as he attempted to get into a comfortable position. No such luck. He fell off the bed. "Ow." He moaned as he began to crawl back onto the comfort and warmth of his bed. Something in the corner of his eye stopped him. Something under his bed. He reached for it. A…book? A photo book. Of course. It was clearly labeled too – PHOTOGRAPHS.

Still lying on the floor, Inuyasha opened the book. He was granted with pictures of two little kids. Two very little kids.

"Wait…" Inuyasha said, fully awakened. "Is that me!" he cried, pointing to a dog eared child. Who else could it be? "It is."

He contemplated for a moment. "Well then, who's that!" he asked himself, pointing to a black haired girl grinning beside him in almost all of the photos. She seemed so familiar but so distant…Inuyasha strained himself, trying to remember her name or anything about her. His eyes widened once again. "Kagome. Kagome Higurashi. Damnit. That's that kid…that girl… I remember." Hadn't she moved to Kyoto so many years ago?

"I was a nice little bugger, wasn't I?" Inuyasha asked, pointing to himself. A pout implanted on his childlike face. Much like his face today. The pout was still there, the face not quite as childlike. His eyes said it all; "Sorry." Obviously, Inuyasha had done something he regretted.

"_Kagome I'm sorry!" Inuyasha whined, hurt in his eyes._

"_It's okay Inuyasha." Kagome said, staring at a pure, fresh, white cast on her left arm. Like Snow._

_Inuyasha moaned once again. "No it's not! Sorry! It's all my fault!"_

"_Sign it." Kagome demanded. When Kagome ordered something done, it was done. No questions asked._

_Inuyasha looked stunned for a moment but whipped out a red marker._

_He thought for a moment. Contemplating what to put._

"_SORRY." He wrote, with a sad face._

_Kagome just laughed. "Oh Inuyasha." She said in between giggles._

_And it wasn't long before Inuyasha joined in._

--

(AN: This was written and posted on a Tuesday. You have one guess when regular updates will be. That's right, Tuesdays.

The flashback scenes will decrease in numbers as the story goes on. I'm going to throw a guess out there that the story will be about 10 chapters or so.

I have wanted to write a story with this plot for quite some time, and I think I did some justice to the plot. This is one of the better and longer opening chapters I have ever done.

Please review this. And read it first. I just LOVE reviews. They're a sign someone has actually read your story. So, if you've read this, please review. PLEASE? Anyways, until next Tuesday…Ciao!)


	2. So We Meet Again

(Disclaimer: -dramatic sob- I don't own Inuyasha…This makes me sad.)

(Anything in italics is a flashback!)

"Wait…" Inuyasha said, fully awakened. "Is that me!" he cried, pointing to a dog eared child. Who else could it be? "It is."

He contemplated for a moment. "Well then, who's that!" he asked himself, pointing to a black haired girl grinning beside him in almost all of the photos. She seemed so familiar but so distant…Inuyasha strained himself, trying to remember her name or anything about her. His eyes widened once again. "Kagome. Kagome Higurashi. Damnit. That's that kid…that girl… I remember." Hadn't she moved to Kyoto so many years ago?

"I was a nice little bugger, wasn't I?" Inuyasha asked, pointing to himself. A pout implanted on his childlike face. Much like his face today. The pout was still there, the face not quite as childlike. His eyes said it all; "Sorry." Obviously, Inuyasha had done something he regretted.

--

"_Inuyasha, is school scary?" Kagome asked, pouting slightly._

"_Nope. It's no sweat." He said in reply._

"_Maybe for you." Kagome whined. "You're brave!"_

"_Well who says you aren't brave?" Inuyasha inquired, an eyebrow raised._

_Kagome smiled._

"No sweat." Kagome told herself, trying to laugh her current situation off. Trying to make it disappear. Vanish. But…she would have to do it. She would have to enter this classroom, one way or another. This was her way. By taking a deep breath, being brave and…

"Konnichiwa!" The teacher exclaimed as the door slid open slowly, without Kagome being able to take a breath. "Higurashi, I presume?" Kagome nodded timidly. Where had all her courage gone? "Find an empty seat and sit down, right now we're discussing Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet…"

Kagome sat down near the corner. Near the window. She let the teacher drone on, not giving her a second thought. It had been a week since she had arrived in Tokyo. It was finally the day she had been dreading for quite some time – her first day of school, at Shikon No Tama High. "So far, so good." Kagome muttered, barely audible.

She – Kagome – could see her reflection in the glass window. It was a barrier separating her from the outside and…this. Raven black hair was tied back, kept out of her face. Chocolate brown eyes full of fear and expectance. Pale skin. Her uniform was somewhat ruffled – the royal blue skirt was wrinkled to some extent. The only neat item of clothing worn by Kagome was the royal blue sweater (trimmed with gold) over her wrinkly white blouse. It was easy to tell that Kagome's smiling face was a façade. Her outfit said it all – she was nervous and uneasy. A frown curled upon her lips. 'Be brave.' She attempted to remind herself. It didn't work.

Remembering her Inuyasha, childhood friend, gave her an extra bit of strength. If that little seven-year-old could be so courageous, why not she? Why, Kagome was fifteen! 'Remember Inuyasha. Remember…' she thought dazedly, trying to focus her thoughts on the teacher for the tiny bit of class there was left.

_Kagome shivered as her tiny head bobbed up from underneath the cool, deep water of the lake. She gasped for air while looking around her suspiciously. "Inuyasha?" she questioned, regaining her ability to speak._

"_Inu-Inuyasha?" she asked once again, tears welling up in her eyes. Where was Inuyasha? He was a wonderful swimmer – much better then Kagome herself. How come he wasn't coming back up?_

_Kagome dove under the water once again. It was dark, even though sunlight was peering through the clear water. _

"_Inuyasha!" she mouthed, as bubbles flew from her mouth. She forgot that she couldn't breath under water. This couldn't be a joke! She grabbed his arm. Was he even conscious? She attempted to drag him up. No luck. Kagome tried to fly up to the surface for a few precious moments of air, but no prevail. Her ankle was wrapped in sea weed._

_Amber eyes flew open quickly. Inuyasha slashed the sea weed restraining Kagome and dragged her up. "I was…kidding." Inuyasha said, gasping for air._

"_You have me!" Kagome cried happily._

_Perhaps that was the day five year old Kagome was first saved by Inuyasha. The first rescue of many._

--

Inuyasha groaned as a bell rang, signaling the end of the period. 'Math.' He thought glumly. 'When am I ever going to need that in the real world?'

"Hey Inu, how'd you on the test?" Miroku asked, three sheets of white paper in hand. Miroku Ito was the name age as Inuyasha – seventeen. He was Inuyasha's – or 'Inu' for short – best friend. Miroku was, to say the least, quite popular with the ladies. Generally speaking he usually blew his chances after the first date – with his wandering hands. His appearance was quite different from Inuyasha's. Messy black hair, deep blue eyes.

Inuyasha grunted in reply to Miroku's question.

"Another fail?" Miroku interpreted. "I got a 79...not that bad, I guess."

"40 better then me." Inuyasha mumbled, eyebrows rose. "I swear that teacher has some sort of grudge against me."

"Perhaps it's the fact that you don't study, need attitude adjustments or that you swear constantly?" Miroku suggested.

"Shut the hell up Miroku." Inuyasha spat.

"Move it." Inuyasha roared , shouldering some girl. Probably a 10th grader, by the slight glance he got of her. Raven black hair. Brown eyes. That was about all he got. Except for the fact that she looked dazed and confused.

"Hey, you're Kagome right? You just moved from Kyoto?" Inuyasha heard someone ask. Kagome? That Kagome…No, it couldn't be…but…Inuyasha turned around quickly. His jaw dropped. It couldn't be…that new girl…she wasn't the same Kagome as…ten years ago, was she! She sure did look like it.

--

"Hey, you're Kagome right? You just moved from Kyoto?" A peer asked Kagome innocently, a grin on her face.

Kagome nodded and gave a slight smile. She saw someone turn around – the same guy who had just hurt her shoulder in fact. His jaw dropped as he stared. Amber eyes. Silver hair. Dog ears…

'Dog ears?' Kagome muttered under her breath.

"Inuyasha!"

(AN: I'm so bad and mean. Everyone must hate me. I skipped a week of updating. I was super busy, if that makes up for it. D: Please forgive me! And give me lots of review. PLEASE! Anyways, this is up a day early incase I forget. The ending is a tad rushed, but I still think it's okay. This shall be continued next Tuesday. Anyways, I'm quite proud of myself. The story will be exactly 10 chapters. I plotted out the entire story. I probably should have done that before, ne?)


	3. Developing Feelings I

(Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.)

(Italics is flashbacks.)

"Hey, you're Kagome right? You just moved from Kyoto?" A peer asked Kagome innocently, a grin on her face.

Kagome nodded and gave a slight smile. She saw someone turn around – the same guy who had just hurt her shoulder in fact. His jaw dropped as he stared. Amber eyes. Silver hair. Dog ears…

'Dog ears?' Kagome muttered under her breath.

"Inuyasha!"

"Kagome!" Inuyasha exclaimed, hearing the girl practically scream his name across the hallway. Dang, she was _loud_.

"The one and only." Kagome said, a slight mischievous smile.

"There are lots of Kagome's." Inuyasha said, a tad annoyed.

"The one and only you knew from your childhood." Kagome added helpfully.

Inuyasha offered a frown. "Yeah, so?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah so we were best buds in Pre K." Kagome answered.

Inuyasha shrugged. "Cool."

Kagome sighed and waved her hand in the air signaling a good bye. "Ciao, I plan to see you around."

'_Not quite the reunion I expected.'_

"Who was she?" Miroku muttered, watching Kagome saunter off. He couldn't tell if she was unsure of herself or totally confident. A mystery.

"Someone I knew when I was six or seven or something." Inuyasha murmured. "She's a freakin' stalker if you ask me."

"She was…nice."

"Nice my ass."

Miroku just sighed and shook his head. The things he had to deal with.

The girl – the girl who had called Kagome's name only moments earlier offered another smile. "I'm Sango. You know him?" she asked, nodding her at in Inuyasha's direction.

Kagome smiled back. "Yes. From childhood."

"Wow, what are the chances?" Sango exclaimed. "Anyways, can I see your schedule, let's see what classes we have together…"

Kagome whipped a small white piece of paper out of her pocket on command.

"We have Math - homeroom, Science, English and Japanese together!" Sango cried in utter happiness. She seemed thrilled.

"Awesome! Someone I know! Thank god!" Kagome said, grinning ear to ear.

By lunchtime, Kagome found her energy totally gone out the window. Greetings, new names, new faces, new people…and work to top it all off. Finally, lunch. The greatest time of the day. Time to relax, eat and finally breathe. Inhale and exhale.

Kagome found the cafeteria to her liking – sunshine seemed to bounce off the walls. The faint pink glow of sakura blossoms echoed through the crisp white room. Everywhere people were laughing and talking. From her current angle, strands of white puffs were in her vision, as if the clouds had been dragged across the blue-gray sky. Kagome found herself at peace.

Kagome smoothed her skirt and sat down on a bench, right next to Sango, who Kagome found extremely kind – and talkative. Kagome found herself surveying the cafeteria quietly, not talking, only lifting her hands every so often to take a bite of food. Raising her soda to take a sip. She memorized all the different groups, from what she could tell there were at least a hundred different cliques. Kagome found herself gazing at Inuyasha dazedly. He was surrounded by girls, all laughing, whispering, chatting. Oh, how she envied them.

Wait a moment…_envied them?_ Why would she? How could she…They had any right to flirt. Inuyasha could never be a boyfriend, crush…anything like that. He was a dear old friend. Nothing could change that.

'If I'm not jealous, then what's the feeling deep down inside me? Not jealously. It can't be. No. I don't like or love Inuyasha. I like him on a friend basis, but…not in that way. Surely not. No. He's a friend. He probably has a girlfriend. He would never got out with me. No, no, no.' Kagome thought as her mind raced.

Sango placed her head in her hands. _"You want him."_ She cackled, smirking stupidly.

Kagome's eyes widened. "Who? I don't know what you're talking about." She said, nose stuck in the air.

"Inuyasha of course. Don't think I haven't seen you gazing at him."

"He's my friend. An old friend at that." Kagome noted.

"So?" Sango challenged.

"So what. It's out of the question." Kagome muttered, seething.

"Everyone likes him. Crap, have you seen his fan girls?"

Kagome just directed her attention to her rice, suddenly finding them particularly interesting.

"But you have something on them." Sango added quickly.

Kagome felt her cheeks get hotter by the moment "W-What?" she asked, stumbling on her words.

"Friendship. They've never taken the time to become his friend. See them swoon and flirt, all those girls. It's easy to see you're quite jealous. But they just want him as a boyfriend – you would have him as a friend. Maybe that will change how he looks at you. I mean, you're different – and who's to say different isn't good? Maybe it's what he wants. He doesn't have a girlfriend yet." Sango explained.

"Really?" Kagome asked, her voice full of hope.

"Really." Sango said smiling.

"Yes!" Kagome hissed softly.

"I knew it." Sango noted with a grin.

"Will you shut up?"

'I may not be willing to admit it, but there can be – and is – only one word for how I feel about Inuyasha right now…'

'_Love.'_

"_Inuyasha." Kagome said, eyes full of wonder and curiosity._

"_What do you want?" He asked, his voice a mere growl._

"_Have you ever fallen in love?" Kagome asked, leaning back on his shoulder._

_Inuyasha shook his head no._

"_Oh." Kagome said, sighing._

"_But it's supposed to feel like…like…total happiness, 'yknow? Like everything will be okay. At least that's what Sesshomaru says." Inuyasha noted, quoting his elder brother._

"_I can't wait to fall in love." Kagome piped happily._

_Inuyasha just gave a slight and rare smile._

_But it was enough._

(AN: Of course I updated last week. You just didn't see it. I'll say it now: SORRY EVERYBODY, YOU MUST HATE MY GUTS. I promise to keep updating, okay? School is over super soon, next Wednesday, June 29th, so I'll update more. Anyways, something else too - I have a great idea for a new story. It's probably going to be an Inuyasha fic, but I might make it Card Captor Sakura just for the fun of it. Anyways, see ya next time!)


	4. Developing Feelings II

(Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, you know that, right?)

"I knew it." Sango noted with a grin.

"Will you shut up?"

'I may not be willing to admit it, but there can be – and is – only one word for how I feel about Inuyasha right now…'

'_Love.'_

Inuyasha groaned impatiently as girls attempted to work their way into his heart.

"Oh Inuyasha!"

"You're so _cute _Inuyasha!"

"Go out with _me_ Inuyasha!"

"Move it." He said, a low growl, as he pushed his way through the crowd. A lot was on his mind. He wasn't in the mood for flirtatious whiny women to get in the way.

After the crowd of girls, there was a cluster of guys. The 'popular' table. His table. His friends. It was the most desired position in the cafeteria, which Inuyasha had worked hard to grasp. Parties, Movies, Dates – he was always invited along. At the top of everyone's list.

Guys either envied him or were friends with him. Girls either loved him, or adored him.

He pushed into the guys small group, as they chatted in low voices.

"See that new girl?"

"Higurashi Kagome you mean?"

"Yeah she's hot."

"She'd never go out with you."

"You think she'd go out with you?"

"Shut up."

At this point, Inuyasha felt somewhat detached. One thing was on his mind. 'They're…degrading her. How dare they, I'm gonna murder them.' His voice hissed as he stared with rage.

"Yo, 'Yash, something wrong?" one boy asked.

Inuyasha snapped out of his momentary thoughts. 'What am I thinking? Who dares. She's just another dumb woman.' He snarled in reply. "No."

"I'm going now." He muttered. The boy nodded in reply as they continued their animated conversation in hushed tones, so the cluster of girls beside them (many of them those boy's girlfriends.) wouldn't and couldn't hear.

Inuyasha exited the cafeteria, but not before granted Kagome a solitary glance. So this is what his childhood friend had become, eh? He wouldn't even have recognized her, if he just passed her by.

"Damn, I'm confused." He muttered, pushed his hands through his hair and clutching his head. "What is this?"

Kagome stood up, still blushing profusely. "I-I'm going to the bathroom." She noted quickly as she began to walk.

"Ciao." Sango said, giving a wave, not looking up from her sandwich.

"I seriously need to think." Kagome whispered to herself. In the past few hours so much had happened; her childhood friend whom she never expected to see again, turned out to be at her school – two years in her senior – and she just so happened to now, magically be in _love_ with him? That couldn't be right.

Kagome made her way out of the school, and onto the campus. She sighed loudly as she rested under a sakura tree, which was in full bloom. She bonked her head against the trunk.

"Owww…"

Inuyasha glanced up at the cloudy sky. 'It's probably going to rain.' He noted.

"Owww…" someone exclaimed.

His ears perked up. He glanced around.

Kagome…

She was sitting at the base of a tree, staring up.

A slight tint of pink arose on her cheeks. Inuyasha took no notice, but instead, sat down beside her.

"What'd you do?" Inuyasha asked. He sounded as if he was talking to a two-year old.

"I bonked my head." Kagome whined jokily. She _sounded_ like someone who was two years old.

"Well that was stupid."

"I know it was."

They sat there in silence for a few awkward moments.

"You're the same Kagome Higurashi from ten years back, right?" Inuyasha asked. He was somewhat surprised by what he had said – that wasn't exactly what he _meant_ to say.

"Of course I am. How else would I know your name?" she asked, smiling slightly.

"Because I _am_ the famous Inuyasha, of course." Inuyasha joked.

"The one and only." Kagome said, giggling.

Things were no longer awkward – it seems as though they had never even spent one day apart –let alone ten years. Things were just like they used to be.

"Why are you back here after all this time anyways?" Inuyasha questioned.

Kagome frowned. "It's a long story…"

"I'm not goin' anywhere."

Kagome sighed as she started the tale. "Well, you know that I moved to Kyoto because my dad got promoted, right?"

At this, Inuyasha nodded his head yes.

"Okay. So one day he's driving home from work. His new job had late hours, and I almost never got to see him. He was always on business trips or working even later then he was supposed to. One night, he called home to say he would be very late and 'not to wait for him' because he was working on some big project that could get him another big promotion…or something like that. But he never came home. He got hit by a drunk driver on the way to our house. After three days of desperate struggle, his heart just gave. He died."

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "S-sorry…" he mumbled.

"It's okay. I'm not done." Kagome said softly. "After his death," (Kagome winced at the word) "My mother had to get a job to support our family. Or what was left of it anyways. Not long after she began her job, her boss suggested that she move to Tokyo. There was a big chance she'd get a promotion there, compared to Kyoto. I suppose she also wanted to escape the memories of our old home…so we upped and moved."

"Oi." Inuyasha mumbled. "That sucks."

Kagome nodded silently. It was obvious that she was trying not to try. Her lip was bitten and her eyes watery. Her hair blowing in the soft breeze.

Inuyasha could feel himself blush.

'What's my problem?' he asked himself in silence. 'It's not like I'm in love with her or anything.'

Another voice inside his head rang,

'_Or are you?'_

'Shut up.' He told himself. 'You don't like her. She's a friend from a long time ago. Big whoop. But…No. But nothing. I do NOT love her!'

That tiny voice rang again.

'_Whatever you say.'_

(AN: gasp Does everyone completely and totally and utterly hate me? I know I do. Please don't kill me. Please.

I'm starting over. I deleted every story but this one and got a new name. Why? Because I can. Yup. I'm even working on a new story. So don't hate.)


End file.
